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Friday, October 21, 2016

Review: JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK

Isme Action Hai! Romance Hai! Emotion Hai! Paisa Vasool!

3 stars

Mini Review:

Tom Cruise is still top gun when it comes to action movies, and this second movie in the Jack Reacher series is eminently watchable even if it is filled with every cliche an action movie should have. This time Jack Reacher saves the career of a US Army Major by tracing all the dangerous and illegal goings-on in Afghanistan. It’s paisa vasool!

Main Review:

Tom Cruise has aged, and even though he no longer flashes deep dimples and can jump about saying, ‘Show me the money!’ he sure can give the young action stars a thing or two in the action department. And boy, can he run!

Jack Reacher rescues an imprisoned US Army major from a high security prison (what a super sequence that is!) and makes a run across the Washington Needle mall to the Lincoln Memorial roundabout where they jump into a cab…

There have been many b-grade action flicks about illegal dealings between renegade US military personnel, government contractors and the enemy - Taliban et al. Even Ironman could not resist the theme. Here too we have people investigating such war crimes being killed one after the other. Now It is up to Jack Reacher to help save the situation.

It doesn’t help the situation when a young, sulky fifteen year old is added to the equation. But Jack, the quintessential action hero takes it on his chin and deals with the problem.

Of course, like all action flicks, trouble takes the trio from Washington DC to New Orleans and the bad guys seem to be one step ahead of them at all times. And the bad guys seem to have the coolest haircuts and filled with some sort of manic rage. The on-screen violence makes you wince but when bad guys kill other bad guys, it’s okay, one supposes.

And oh yes, if you only took tourism lessons from the movies, you’d assume it’s always All Souls Night in New Orleans. So we see the seedy side of the city as much as we see the chase through the parade. But you don’t mind the cliches because the movie is constantly moving forward.

The action scenes are wonderful and the movie has been written with a streak of humor that keeps it popcorn light. Happily, Cruise’s co-stars Cobie Smulders (You’ve seen her as Maria Hill in tv series and movies: The Avengers) and Danika Yarosh (familiar face from the TV show Heroes) have an equal share of the action and fit right in. And the last smile that Tom Cruise offers you, reminds you of the Top Gun days. Go on, buy the tickets and don’t forget the pop-corn!